Report for Village Halls Consortium, North Northumberland Review of proposed placement of an automated external defibrillators
Introduction The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) have previously spoken to the North Northumberland Village Halls Consortium, with regard to the possible placement of a Community First Responder scheme (CFR) or an automated external defibrillator (AED) within village halls. We briefly discussed the options available. This document is to clarify the options, as well as associated costs. Community First Responders CFRs are volunteers from your community, who responder to emergency calls on our behalf, in addition to an ambulance being dispatched. They are trained by us, and provided with an automated external defibrillator (AED), oxygen, and a basic first aid kit. Any applicants must be over 18, have use of their own motor vehicle (and be appropriately licensed and insured to drive it in accordance with UK law), and be physically capable of carrying out the duties of a first responder. They will be dispatched to a large variety of emergency calls, including chest pain/heart attacks, breathing difficulties, cardiac/respiratory arrest, collapse/unconsciousness, amongst others, but only roughly within a five mile radius of their location. They are currently excluded from attending the following incidents: Fire related calls Trauma Suspected spinal injuries Road Traffic Collisions Industrial incidents Acts of aggression/violence Alcohol or drugs related incidents (including calls to any licensed premises) Maternity/Gynaecological Emergencies Patients under 16 years old Confirmed pandemic influenza/meningitis They would proceed to the emergency under normal driving conditions. Training consists of an initial two day course, with a two hour re- certification every year. CFRs are also required to attend a one day Essential Annual Training course every year, in respect of such aspects as manual handling and conflict resolution. The advantage of having a team of CFRs is that you have access to immediate first aid, prior to the ambulance arrival. The difficulty is usually finding enough people willing to give up their time for the training and being available to respond, as we look to provide cover as near to 24 hours per day as possible. We are also restricted as a Trust in that we cannot currently fund new schemes being set up, to supply them with the kit they require. We are only able to expand existing schemes, unless we remove a kit from an existing scheme and place it elsewhere.
Public Access AED Another option for the community is to purchase an AED, and keep it in the village. If it is kept inside a building, then you must consider how access will be gained to obtain the AED if required, bearing in mind that it may be required in the middle of the night. The AED could also be placed in an external locked coded box on the outside of a building. This would be a community public access defibrillator (cpad). The community could look to purchase the machine outright or we can assist in seeking partial funding from various charity organisations such as the British Heart Foundation, Community Heartbeat Trust, and Shocking Now. Different charities use different machines, but they are similar in their designs, and are all very user friendly. The only consideration is that the British Heart Foundation does not support keeping AEDs in a locked box, so if you were to proceed with this option, we would suggest seeking funding from the Community Heartbeat Trust or similar. In the event of a cardiac arrest, the caller would be advised that there was an AED in proximity, and where it was located. If it was in a locked box, the caller would be given the code. The caller would be asked if someone could fetch the AED, but would be advised not to leave the patient to do so, as basic life support (CPR) is crucial to survival. The locked box is vandal and weather proof, but would need an electric supply as the AED must not get cold, as this affects the battery. Another option is to place the AED inside a public building, and use a binary lock system on the main door, similar to that found on the external boxes. Provided the building is maintained at a reasonable temperature (above 5 o c), this negates the need for an external box and the associated costs. The AED would belong to the village, and it would be up to you to ensure that it is checked very regularly to ensure that it is in good working order, and that the defibrillator pads are in date. The village would be responsible for the up keep of the machine, in respect of the purchase of new pads when they go out of date, and new batteries, as they are required. If the AED were located in an external box, then there would be the cost of electric to consider as well, which would depend very much on the weather. The machine will be covered by a warranty of between five to seven years, depending on model. The pads usually have a shelf life of two years (Cardiac Science) or five years (Zoll), and the batteries of between four and seven years. (see appendix for a comparison, including costs) Training The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust would provide free training in basic life support (BLS) and the use of the defibrillator, which we would offer as informal familiarisation sessions to anyone who wished to take part.
General Training for the Community We can also offer free Heartstart (a British Heart Foundation initiative) sessions to the community, which teach the emergency life support skills that can help keep someone alive until the ambulance arrives. It covers the basics of the information required when making a 999 call; the signs and symptoms, and how to dealing with someone having a heart attack; dealing with severe bleeds and choking; dealing with an unconscious person and the recovery position; cardiac arrest and CPR. We can extend this course to include familiarisation with the AED. We are always happy to train members of the community in CPR and Heartstart, and should anyone wish to pursue this, then please do not hesitate to contact us. Current locations Community First Responders Allendale Glanton RAF Boulmer (mobile resource) Allenheads Kielder Village Whitley Bay/Monkseaton Alnwick Longbenton Stobswood Amble Newbrough Stonehaugh Bardon Mill Ponteland Swarland Belford Prudhoe Till Valley Berwick Rochester/Otterburn Wark Coquetdale Rothbury Widdrington West Cramlington Sharpeton Widdrington East Crookham Seahouses Wooler Dinnington Shilbottle Felton Simonburn Public Access Defibrillators Cornhill Village Shop Cornhill on Tweed TD12 4UH Oasis Café Holy Island TD15 2SE The Plough Inn Powburn NE66 4HL The Queens Head Glanton NE66 4AP Tower Knowe Visitor Centre Kielder NE48 1BX The Memorial Village Hall Whittingham NE66 4UP Red Lion Pub Milfield NE71 6JD Etal Village Hall Etal TD12 4TL We do have other defibrillators situated in business locations with public access such as airports and train stations.
Appendix Comparison CFR Public Access AED Kit Full kit including AED AED only AED and external cabinet Funding We will seek funding from within the service if identified as an area of need, otherwise we may not be able to support the scheme BHF/CHT CHT Cost Approx 1,500 BHF - approx. 400 after funding CHT - approx. 500 Approx 1,450 (subject to review) after funding AED model Cardiac Science Zoll/Cardiac Science Cardiac Science Other info CFR will be expected to respond on behalf of NEAS Need to ensure access is secure Method of collection agreed Zoll Cardiac Science Pads Approx 35-80 Approx 20 Batteries Approx 70 Approx 145 Electricity supply needed Cost of fitting box